It’s been nine months since the Season 1 finale of “Hannibal” aired to a meager 3 million viewers — never a good sign.
But the NBC series, featuring the Hannibal Lecter character introduced in Thomas Harris’ novel “Red Dragon” — and immortalized by Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs” — was both critically lauded and renewed for a second season of 13 episodes.
It now gets a second chance to make a first impression, but be forewarned: “Hannibal” is not for the squeamish — there’s gore galore — but if you’re looking for a new show on which to get hooked, or are a returning fan from last season, this could fit the bill.
We pick up where last season left off. Former FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), whose specialty lies in profiling serial killers, is behind bars in a mental institution after being tied to a string of serial murders. He still insists he’s innocent, and — while he can’t quite put his finger on it — he just knows the real killer is Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), the brilliant psychologist brought on board last season by FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) to help Graham as he spiraled deeper into (a perceived) madness while working his investigation. Lecter has a secret; he’s a cannibalistic serial killer with a pathological expertise, both in murder and sophisticated mind games.
All of these plot points are brought to the fore early in Friday night’s season premiere, which will help if you didn’t watch last season. And we’re immediately fast-forwarded 12 weeks into the future, with a scene that would coincide with this season’s finale. It gives a strong hit of where the show is headed … or does it? Anything is possible.
Meanwhile, more murdered bodies — mummified with silicone and preservatives and encased in a plastic-like substance — turn up in Rock Creek Park outside the Baltimore/DC area, and Dr. Lecter is hired by Crawford as an ersatz Graham to get inside the mind of this ritualistic killer.
“Hannibal” was lauded last season for its stylized look, which is on display here. Fishburne, as usual, is solid, and I like Dancy’s interpretation of Graham (just the right amount of despair without descending into self-pity). He’s right, and he knows it — now he just needs to prove it.
Mikkelsen’s Dr. Lecter differs from the archetype fashioned by Hopkins, who chewed the scenery (pun intended) with malevolent panache and was genuinely frightening.
Mikkelsen’s Lecter is colder, with an emotional distance; his accent (Mikkelsen is Dutch) imbues Lecter with a slightly sinister air, and it will be interesting to see how the cat-and-mouse game between Lecter and Graham plays itself out over the course of the season.
Stay tuned.